Question

ANTONY. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interrèd with their bones.

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus

Hath told you Caesar was ambitious.

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Caesar answered it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest—

For Brutus is an honourable man ,

So are they all, all honourable men—

Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.

–The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,

William Shakespeare

Which is the best summary of this part of Antony’s speech?

Antony calls the assassins "honourable men” but subtly turns the crowd against them.
Antony believes that if Caesar were truly ambitious, he paid the price for it.
When people die, the good they have done is often lost and their evil deeds endure.
Antony agrees with Brutus that Caesar was ambitious.

Answer 1

The best summary of this part of Antony’s speech is: **Antony calls the assassins "honourable men” but subtly turns the crowd against them.**

While the other options capture elements of Antony's speech, this summary most accurately reflects the primary rhetorical strategy he employs: using irony to undermine the credibility of Brutus and the other conspirators while appearing to respect them.